{"id":221,"date":"2019-10-21T15:06:02","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T15:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/?p=221"},"modified":"2026-06-22T11:38:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T11:38:56","slug":"dance-and-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/dance-and-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Dance and Age"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Margareta <\/strong><strong>S\u00f6renson<\/strong><a href=\"#end\" name=\"back\">*<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"abstract\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Abstract<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap abstract wp-block-paragraph\">Dancers \u201cdie\u201d young. This is what most people think, and if the reference is classical ballet, it might be the case. Yet, the examples of Ohno, Manning, Ek, Fonteyn, Bausch show quite the opposite:&nbsp;that there is still life for a dancer who is no longer young. This article argues that the age, capacity and attraction of male and female bodies on stage vary from one tradition to another, in the extent to which they depend on the cultural and historcal context. To substantiate this point of view, the article focuses on the career of renowned Swedish dancer\/choreographer Mats Ek.<br><strong>Keywords: <\/strong>age, dance, jeunisme, Ek, Laguna, Birgit Cullberg<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"575\" data-attachment-id=\"222\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/dance-and-age\/frankie_manning\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Frankie_Manning.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"800,575\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Frankie_Manning\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Frankie Manning dancing at the age of 84&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Frankie_Manning.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Frankie_Manning.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Frankie_Manning.jpeg 800w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Frankie_Manning-300x216.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Frankie_Manning-768x552.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Frankie Manning dancing at the age of 84<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Children, however clumsy, chubby, skinny or\nun-coordinated they may be, are allowed to dance as freely as they wish. For\nadults, however experienced, skilful or professional they may be, there are\nrules. And the guillotine comes down sharply when dancers are considered too\nold\u2014with the aesthetics of classical ballet setting the bar. Modernism may have\nbeen the governing power for a century, and classical ballet a diminishing\nslice of the cake during the same period, yet the fairy-tale ideal for women\nand bold boyish style for men still form the law of dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kazuo Ohno (1906-2010) performed after his 100th\nbirthday. He passed away at 103, but for the last butoh dance pieces he was\nperforming in public he was sitting on a chair. Sitting dancing? Is a butoh\ndancer actually dancing? In some of his late performances, he moved on hands\nand knees: butoh dance is a performing art, as much dance as theatre in its\nimages and sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-1\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 1<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kazuo Ono, The Dead Sea\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZUjhQLB0hXY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Kazuo Ono, <em>The Dead Sea<\/em> (early1980s), from the documentary <br><em>Dance of Darkness<\/em> by Edin Velez <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Frank(ie) Manning (1914-2009), the \u201dinventor\u201d of lindy hop, once a star at the Savoy Ballroom, was over seventy when he became the icon of a lindy hop camp\u2015in Sweden. This legendary gentleman travelled every year to Herr\u00e4ng, some 150 km north of Stockholm, a coastal village that once every year is vibrant and packed with dancing people. And Fred Manning danced! Indeed\u2015with a happy smile, an elegant style and, finally, with a cane. Frank Manning died in 2009, having assisted as a dance teacher at the camp for some 20 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-2\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 2<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Swing Dance  1980&#039;s  (Frankie Manning &amp; Norma Miller)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l-IpPMi0uGI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">  Swing Dance 1980&#8217;s (Frankie Manning and Norma Miller)  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Margot Fonteyn (1919-92), one of the great ballerinas\nwhose name is known beyond the world of dance, was famous for her style, her\nemotional expression and a special capacity to create an intimate atmosphere\nwith the audience. Late in her dance life, in her mid 40s, she made a second\ncareer as a world artist, touring with the young Rudolf Nureyevas a partner. She could have been his\nmother, but they danced sequences and scenes from the most famous classics\u2015such\nas <em>Giselle<\/em>, where she played the title role, a very young country girl.\nThe audiences were enormous, and Fonteyn&#8217;s age was noted and discussed, but the\ntwo stars matched one another in success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-3\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 3<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Margot Fonteyn \/ Rudolf Nureyev: Giselle (PAS DE DEUX FROM ACT II)\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yvn2iiBrojw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">  Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev in <em>Giselle<\/em> (from Act II)  <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These three examples show how in \u201ddance,\u201d the traditions,\nthe styles, the techniques live their lives very far from each other. They also\nshow how the age, capacity and attraction of male and female bodies on stage\ncan differ from one tradition to another, in the extent to which they depend on\nthe cultural context. In Asia, a high age still is something to be respected;\nin the Western world, attitudes are more split. Future national presidents might\nbe close to their 80s, yet <em>jeunisme<\/em>,\nthe idea that being young is better and more \u201dcontemporary,\u201d is a frequent\nposition both on political stages and in the arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The examples chosen prove how unproductive the notion \u201ddance\u201d\nis. Ballroom dancing, vernacular dancing, academic ballet or contemporary dance\nare all called dance, even if the definitions are as diverse as their\naesthetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most contemporary choreographers began their career as dancers. Even if, today, choreography exists as a subject in some dance conservatoires, it is still rare that choreographers reach their position through theoretical studies. For centuries, the normal career for a dancer in the Western world began from very early years, even if the child education which is now frequent in opera houses did not exist until the nineteenth century. From the teens to the twenties was for long considered to be a suitable age for building up muscles and technical skills that would peak around 25 for women and closer to 30 for men. The importance of emotional maturity for some key characters in the classical ballet was of course considered, and it remains an open question to what extent ballet&#8217;s big audiences were attracted by the virtuosity of a ballerina or by the \u201dmagic\u201d of her interpretation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Within the structure of today\u2019s classical ballet,\nretirement age is usually in the early 40&#8217;s. Some professional dancers then\nopen up a new career as physical therapists, as nurses and even medical\ndoctors, more frequently as coaches of the company or as dance instructors.\nThis second age also permits so-called <em>dance\nde charact\u00e8re<\/em> on stage, as the witch Madge in <em>La<\/em><em> Sylphide<\/em> or, in some countries,\nthe worried mother in <em>travesti<\/em> in <em>La Fille Mal gard\u00e9e<\/em>\u2014and of course the many kings, queens\nand court dignitaries who create a background in several classical\nmasterpieces.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or the dancer, if talented enough, might develop\ngradually as a choreographer, normally after a first career or period on stage,\nas did Birgit Cullberg, the founder of the Cullberg Ballet, Pina Bausch, Ohad\nNaharin or Mats Ek. They danced and, little by little, started to create pieces\nfor the dancers of their company\u2015Wuppertal Dance Theatre, Batsheva or the\nCullberg Ballet. Other famous choreographers, such as Jiri Kyl\u00edan, Akram Khan,\nSidi Larbi Cherkaoui, first danced and then started to create pieces, at the\ninvitation of a range of companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-4\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 4<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Eurydike \u00e4r d\u00f6d\/Eurydice is Dead by Birgit Cullberg - rehearsaltrailer\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F3WbRlgcizQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">  In 2017, Cullbergbaletten celebrated 50 years of contemporary dance. For the anniversary, the company presented two works that were created for and with the company: <em>Eurydice is Dead<\/em> by Birgit Cullberg, restaged by Mats Ek and Ana Laguna, and <em>Protagonist<\/em> by Jefta van Dinther. Dansens Hus, Stockholm, April 27-29, 2017 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Birgit Cullberg stopped dancing in her younger years but,\nafter achieving international fame as a choreographer, went back to dance in\nworks by Mats Ek at an advanced age. She was 70 when she danced the part of\nMother Africa in Mats Ek\u2019s <em>Soweto,<\/em> a comment on the riots in the South African ghetto.\nAnd she was 83 when she danced in <em>Old and\nDoor<\/em>, a poetic piece about the dreams and memories of an old woman. The\npiece was produced for Swedish Television in 1991 but was not transmitted then,\nas it showed too obviously the sexuality in the thoughts of an old woman. Today,\nthe censorship of the 1990s is difficult to understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mats Ek\u2019s sensitivity for questioning the traditional\npatterns of male and female is compass-like and tends to catch the points of\nreference that strike the contemporary audience the most. And when it comes to\nthe physique and emotions of women, the biggest clash is to be seen between the\nideals of classical ballet and the contemporary arts. In classical ballet,\nwomen are very young, girlish or ageless, and remote from any female bodily\nactivities, such as physical love, pregnancy, giving birth, breastfeeding,\nperiods or other qualities necessary for the survival of the species. Being a\nmother, or thinking of being a mother (as in <em>La fille Mal Gard\u00e9e<\/em>) are\nthe only biological hints of female bodily functions. For today&#8217;s\ngroundbreakers in the arts, this is a frequent area to attack or give\nalternative imagery; in this, Mats Ek is typical of his time and generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-5\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 5<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ana Laguna, Mats Ek: Place \/ Stalle\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TLOyc6rG2pQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Mikhail Baryshnikov and Ana Laguna in Mats Ek\u2019s<em> Place<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In June 2019, Mats Ek premiered two new pieces at the\nParis National Opera. One was a new version of the \u201dsolos for two\u201d that have\nbecome his laboratory for deeper exploration of relations between man and woman\nin their daily life, with the assumption of a long relationship as a bottom\nline. The new <em>Another\nPlace <\/em>continues the choreographical work of<em> Place<\/em>, once danced by Ana Laguna\nand Mikhail Baryshnikov (2007). Ana Laguna, Mats Ek&#8217;s closest collaborator and\nwife, was the star dancer of his choreographies for decades, several of them\ncreated and designed for her muscular body and powerful female expressiveness.\nThrough Mats Ek\u2019s works, a line of duets, what he himself calls \u201dsolos for two,\u201d\ntakes a special development from <em>Old and Door<\/em> (1991), <em>Smoke (<\/em>1995), and <em>Axe <\/em>(2016), as well as <em>pas-de-deux<\/em>\nforming an important element in several of his great classical re-readings,\nsuch as <em>Giselle <\/em>or <em>Carmen<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-6\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 6<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Memory -  Ana Laguna and Mats Ek\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ny6P_7DE1_4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> Ana Laguna and Mats Ek in<em> Memory<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a number of duets, Mats Ek himself has taken up\ndancing on stage as necessary. First, in <em>Memory\n<\/em>(2004), together with Ana Laguna; two years later, the couple danced again\nin <em>Potato<\/em>, a drastic exercise in\nbeing two, where a bag of potatoes is the icon for everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the Paris opera stage, the \u201dsolo for two\u201d was danced\nby members of the <em>corps de ballet<\/em> of the house, among them Aur\u00e9lie\nDupont, the artistic leader of the company. These dancers were of an age that\nMats Ek calls \u201dmature,\u201d forty plus, and, for the first time in Ek\u2019s artistic\nlife, he used Liszt\u2019s Sonata for Piano in C minor\u2015dramatic and lively and far\nfrom his frequent use of contemplative P\u00e4rt music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For&nbsp;<em>Bolero<\/em>, so loved and so often listened to that it is almost a burden, Mats Ek worked with some twenty dancers. The part of one old man was \u201ddanced\u201d by his older brother Niklas, former star dancer of the Cullberg ballet. He walks across the stage once for every one of the 18 sequences of the music, carrying a bucket of water, which he empties into a big basin on the stage. In his white linen suit and summer hat, he is a perfect image of elderly male stubbornness\u2015he comes on carrying his bucket, as he always has. The young dancers around him pay no attention, they tolerate him, but, by and by, there is irritation in the air. Finally, the old man is harassed, chased and throws himself into the water\u2015\u201cMaybe he drowns himself,\u201d remarks Mats Ek.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This old man, it is difficult not to see him as a kind of\nself-portrait of yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet me put it this way,\u201d replies Mats Ek, 74 years of age: \u201cThat old man with his bucket . . . it was obvious and necessary to have Niklas Ek in this particular part. Of course, my own age is of some significance in creating this piece. But, if there should be a need for an understudy one evening, I would dance the part,\u201d smiles Mats Ek, happily looking back at this recent success in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-7\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 7<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Interview with Mats Ek\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/U30aUgmRX8w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Interview with Mats Ek, before the premiere of <em>Bolero<\/em> at Palais Garnier (22\/06\/2019)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-background-color has-background has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Young dancers are often tempted to expose their skill and equilibrium. Dancers of some age have limits, which you have to accept. But limits are also the mother of new inventions! When I dance myself, together with Ana, we are not dealing with our private memories. Every production must rely on a need to be created as such, and the performance is created in the moment. When the curtain falls, everything is gone. However, the audience might think, \u2019there goes a life,\u2019 and feel that the dancer is marked by a long, professional life. If you use this well, there is nothing private hidden. But every art work is marked by the traces of a personality, something unique. \u2018Private\u2019 and \u2018personal\u2019 are two different categories, and, to the audience, the uniqueness is what counts. In the moment of performance, the private aspect is dissolved. The form shows a paradox: only what is unique has the capacity to communicate.<br><br>The dancers are often young, and, sometimes, it might be problematic to make them understand intellectually what I mean. And it is difficult to find dancers with a world of imagination of their own. Several of my duets are for very young dancers, like in <em>Juliet and Romeo<\/em> or <em>Giselle<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"video-8\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Video 8<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Juliet and Romeo - Mats Ek, Royal Swedish Ballet\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CRqNNMT4nFc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">  <em>Juliet and Romeo<\/em>, choreographed by Mats Ek, performed by the Royal Swedish Ballet <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My reflection is that young persons just might have other\nworlds of imagination and other references. And Mats Ek agrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut I am suspicious\ntowards the global media landscape of today. Something is vanishing, vaporizing\u2015but\nit is true that some things develop wider and deeper.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite the energetic and almost diabolic repetitions of\nRavel\u2019s music, the piece in the hands of Mats Ek was rather calm,\ncontemplative. The dancers dance duets, trios, group parts\u2015their dance is an\nongoing flow, while the old man comes back at his own pace, strutting somewhat\nwith his bucket. An elderly person: the line of the back, the posture, the way\nof walking\u2015all saying: I will do what I always did and nothing else!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also, the place of dance in the mind and memory of the\naudience is a problem Mats Ek has reflected on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-background-color has-background has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Dance is an art that lives in the moment, gone as soon as the performance is over. Body language and acting must be combined and need to find a trustworthy instant dialogue. Texts, written dramas, live on for centuries, music is stored on the note sheets, both must and can be re-interpreted by artists and audiences. To even try to save or preserve dance is meaningless, whatever you say. There is a strong desire to do so, and many would argue that the choreographies are the same, exactly as they were from the beginning\u2015but that is impossible. The necessity which once led to their creation is gone. What is left is classic highlights, ticket-selling \u2018numbers.;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2015, Mats Ek passed 70 and stated in public that he\nwould retire from the stage, as both choreographer and dancer. No wonder: his\nproductivity was astonishing, with stage direction, new choreographies,\nrestaging old choreographies and dancing in his \u201dsolos for two.\u201d&nbsp;\u201dIt was a\ndecision I made with the help of Ana. But a little more than a year later, I\nfelt that I wanted to create new works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And he does. New pieces and old pieces re-staged and dancing on stage. The Paris opera, an autumn 2019 tour, plans for a film . . . Approaching 75, he seems to embrace his age and create his own niche for his creativity.<a name=\"end\">&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"146\" data-attachment-id=\"223\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/dance-and-age\/margareta-so%cc%88renson\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Margareta-So\u0308renson.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"172,146\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;6.3&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D750&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1469044690&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Margareta-So\u0308renson\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Margareta-So\u0308renson.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Margareta-So\u0308renson-150x146.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-223 alignnone\">\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a name=\"end\" href=\"#back\">*<\/a><strong>Margareta S\u00f6renson<\/strong>, president of IATC, is a Swedish theatre and dance critic, a writer and researcher in dance history. She has written for the daily national paper&nbsp;<em>Expressen<\/em>&nbsp;since the early 1980s, and for the Swedish dance journal,&nbsp;<em>Danstidningen<\/em>, in addition to writing a number of books on the performing arts, the latest on Mats Ek, with photographer Lesley Leslie-Spinks. Her special interests in dance and puppetry have often led her to the Asian classical stage arts and increased her curiosity about contemporary ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Copyright <strong>\u00a9<\/strong> 2019 Margareta S\u00f6renson<br><em>Critical Stages\/Sc\u00e8nes critiques<\/em> e-ISSN: 2409-7411<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/88x31.png\" alt=\"Creative Commons Attribution International License\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">This work is licensed under the<br>Creative Commons Attribution International License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":314,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[8],"tags":[13],"class_list":["post-221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-special-topic","tag-st-front"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":91,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/age-on-stage\/","url_meta":{"origin":221,"position":0},"title":"Age on Stage","author":"Margareta S\u00f6renson","date":"October 8, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Nancy Westman* Abstract Age on Stage started in Sweden in 2015, in order to allow mature professional dance artists to carry on their careers for as long as they wish. Charlotta \u00d6fverholm is the woman behind the project. She and Age on Stage are now joining forces, in Sweden as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Topic&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image1-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image1-2.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image1-2.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image1-2.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":517,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/creating-dance-with-elders-and-how-to-see-it-company-of-elders-in-the-festival-of-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":221,"position":1},"title":"Creating Dance with Elders, and How to See It: Company of Elders in the World Gold Theatre Festival","author":"Margareta S\u00f6renson","date":"December 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Katsuhiko Sakaguchi* Abstract The Company of Elders, produced by Sadler\u2019s Wells Theatre (U.K.), was invited by Saitama Arts Theatre (Japan) in 2018 as a model for dance companies which feature elderly performers. The article discusses how the triple bill by the company strived to explore the possibilities of creating dance\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Topic&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/image3-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":583,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/dance-in-the-forest-an-example-of-immersive-theatre\/","url_meta":{"origin":221,"position":2},"title":"Dance in the Forest, an Example of Immersive Theatre","author":"Margareta S\u00f6renson","date":"December 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Manuel Garcia Martinez* Kunstenfestivaldesarts in Brussels, Belgium, May 2019. The Brussels Kunstenfestivaldesarts presented a great variety of shows that is difficult to summarize. Several sought to establish new forms of spectator involvement. Among the dance shows presented, Somnia, directed by choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, was undoubtedly one of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Performance Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Performance Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/performance-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/5.F%C3%BAria.Lia-Rodrigues.CiaRodriguesCompanhia-de-Dan%C3%A7as.2019-%C2%A9-Sammy-Landweer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/5.F%C3%BAria.Lia-Rodrigues.CiaRodriguesCompanhia-de-Dan%C3%A7as.2019-%C2%A9-Sammy-Landweer.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/5.F%C3%BAria.Lia-Rodrigues.CiaRodriguesCompanhia-de-Dan%C3%A7as.2019-%C2%A9-Sammy-Landweer.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/12\/5.F%C3%BAria.Lia-Rodrigues.CiaRodriguesCompanhia-de-Dan%C3%A7as.2019-%C2%A9-Sammy-Landweer.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":277,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/movement-through-language-a-reflection-on-the-use-of-spoken-text-in-dance-performances\/","url_meta":{"origin":221,"position":3},"title":"Movement through Language:  A Reflection on the Use of Spoken Text in Dance Performances","author":"Margareta S\u00f6renson","date":"October 19, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Rosa Lambert* Abstract Today, the Belgian dance scene features many international choreographers whose works explore how spoken text can contribute to the creation of dance. As a consequence, their works reveal the interconnections and affiliations between language and movement. In this essay, Rosa Lambert examines two solo performances by Mette\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Essays&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Essays","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/essays\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/11\/image1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":225,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/age-and-politics-in-early-american-drama\/","url_meta":{"origin":221,"position":4},"title":"Age and Politics in Early American Drama","author":"Margareta S\u00f6renson","date":"October 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Zoe Detsi* Abstract This paper seeks to explore how age as a determining category of identity was represented on the American stage in the years following the American Revolution. By bringing early American drama\u2014a field largely neglected in itself\u2014into the discussion of performance and age studies, this paper examines age\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Topic&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/image2-8.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":756,"url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/a-note-from-the-guest-editors\/","url_meta":{"origin":221,"position":5},"title":"A Note from the Guest Editors","author":"Margareta S\u00f6renson","date":"December 4, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Manabu Noda* and Yun Cheol Kim** The world is ageing\u2212and fast. According to the United Nations, already one in eleven of the world population is over 65, and by 2050 the rate will be one in six. The 65+ age band outnumbered children under five years of age for the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Special Topic&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Special Topic","link":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/category\/special-topic\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/Manabu_Noda2-140x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/21\/2019\/10\/featured.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1273,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221\/revisions\/1273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.critical-stages.org\/20\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}